Wuhan-style Cheongsam,A Testimony to History and Dream

By Liu Zhaowei, Yang Zhiqi

Wuhan-style Cheongsam,A Testimony to History and Dream

By Liu Zhaowei, Yang Zhiqi

“In the depth of each Chinese woman’s heart, wearing cheongsam is one of their life dreams no matter how tall or short,slender or plump she is,” said Chen Wenxiu, with the sweet shyness in her sparkling eyes.

Though she has reached grandmother-age, Chen Wenxiu charms us with her smooth skin, a tender voice, and elegant manners in her gestures and facial expressions. I suddenly had the illusion that she had bypassed the hourglass to suspend the passage of time, thus retaining her youth forever.

Chen Wenxiu, a major in mechanical drawing, has never received any fashion trainning. She almost taught herself in designing and making cheongsam, with a passionate love for it. She initiated a cheongsam shop named “Xiujue” on the tranquil Nanjing Road in Wuhan. The name is dainty and refreshing, the decor minimal but exquisite, producing a vintage and nostalgic flavor.Walking inside, you’ll be immediately fasinated by the lovely cheongsams on shelves: the wedding cheongsam embroidered with red peony and rose flowers, the simple and elegant cheongsam designed with blue and white porcelain patterns and modern and stylish versions...... Apparently she knows every cheongsam in heart as if each piece contains an intriguing story to us.

“Cheongsam” (qípáo) is a phrase full of historic and cultural emotions.It is also an embodiment of a longstanding culture and of the bygone tradition.

“每個女人心底，都有一個旗袍夢。這個夢，無關高矮，無關胖瘦。”說這話的時候，陳文秀的眼里透著一股小女人的嬌羞。

雖然她已經到了抱孫子的年紀，但她膚質細膩，話語溫柔，舉手投足間都有著一種雅致的氣質。那一刻，我仿佛覺得她繞過了時光的沙漏，永遠定格在少女時期。

學機械制圖出身的陳文秀沒有學過一天服裝，僅憑著一腔對旗袍的偏執熱愛自學成才。在幽靜的武漢南京路，她開了一家名為“秀覺”的旗袍店。清麗的店名，小卻精致的裝幀，顯得古香古色。走進店中，一件件旗袍瞬間吸引了人們的眼球，有勾勒著大紅牡丹玫瑰的婚嫁旗袍，有古典青花瓷紋的素凈旗袍，還有現代風的時尚旗袍……她如數家珍般一件件向我們展示，仿佛講述著一個個欲說還休的故事。

旗袍，兩個蘊含著豐富歷史、文化與情感的字眼，承載著悠久的傳統文化，成為歷史的印記——

京派的旗袍受宮廷影響，束領高而硬，開衩低，較為保守；又因皇城富庶，旗袍面料往往鮮艷奪目，顯得大氣隆重。

海派旗袍深受西方文化影響，略顯“風騷”：繡花艷而散，開衩高，領低，袖短，盡顯性感浪漫風情，讓人仿佛能想象當時的交際花們手拿小巧酒杯，或翩翩于燈火舞臺，或游離于賓客之間的情形……

而彼時的大漢口，因辛亥革命一聲槍響，女性的穿戴也出現斗轉星移的一幕。武漢女性迅速成為旗袍的擁躉。首義之城捕捉時尚的敏銳感僅次于上海。民國著名的宋氏姐妹，對旗袍也情有獨鐘，但宋慶齡開始嘗試穿著旗袍，則是在1926～1927年來武漢從事革命工作期間。

“國母”對旗袍的偏愛讓民國的上流名媛紛紛效仿，而漢派旗袍席卷民間，從學生到女工都開始穿旗袍，自然離不開“明星效應”。

Beijing-style cheongsam,

in fluenced by the imperial court, was much more conservative, with high,stiff necks and short slits. Seemingly contradicting, due to the abundance of wealth in the imperial city, fabrics of Beijing-style cheongsam were usually bright-colored, looking formal and grand.

However,Shanghai-style cheongsam was more westernized and “seductive”: the embroidery was gorgeous and scattered, the slits higher, necks lower, and sleeves shorter to accentuate a woman’s attractiveness and beauty. We can easily conjure up a picture of those party courtesans holding a small wine cup in hand, dancing on the stage, or butter flying among her guests...

In metropolitan Wuhan, the gunshot of the Revolution of 1911 also signaled a revolution in women’s garments. Women in Wuhan quickly became fans of cheongsam. Wuhan was second only to Shanghai towards changing trends of fashion. During the early decades of last century, the famous Soong sisters showed special preference for cheongsam. It is worth noting that it was during her sojourn in Wuhan from 1926 to 1927 for revolutionary work that Soong Chingling began to wear her cheongsam.

The First Lady turned out to be a trendsetter: ladies and courtesans from the upper class rushed to emulate her. Wuhan-style cheongsam was naturally a product of that trend.All women in all walks of life including girl students and factory workers were zest in wearing cheongsam. Such is the example of celebrity endorsement.

Chen Bohua, a Han Opera master,later became the director of Wuhan Opera Theatre, was known as her stage name “Little Peony” among audiences all over Wuhan. In 1937,when the Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang was invited for performances in Wuhan, a welcome banquet was held in his honor. Sitting beside gentle Mei Lanfang, Chen Bohua, a representative of local artists, wore an impressive honey gold cheongsam with a light green waistcoat and a white silk scarf, appearing re fined and bewitching.

● In 1957, Chen Bohua and Mei Lanfang were exchanging their opinions on opera performance1957年，陳伯華與梅蘭芳研究表演藝術

It was the first gathering of two“Consort Yu1” actresses Chen Bohua and Mei Lanfang, who made such a perfect match that their meeting became a popular topic among the locals.

Wuhan, a thoroughfare to nine provinces, has been steeped in different cultures and has cultivated an all-inclusive spirit. The same went with Wuhan-style cheongsam, which readily embraced many changes and revisions: from straight and loose in style to a more fitting and revealing cut; from low neck to high neck—as high as the ears in winter; with waist more fitting, and the bell-like sleeves shorter and tighter, from the length of calves to longer styles. The slits were even more capricious, sometimes as high as the hip.

Wuhan women are known for their boldness and tomboyish manners. Older people reminisced that a Wuhan woman at that time could wear her high-slit cheongsam on a bus, with her legs crossed and shaking. But Chen Wenxiu had her own idea, “once you wear cheongsam you feel more modest and graceful,and will be constantly reminding yourself to keep that grace both inside and outside.” Perhaps that is what she really wants from cheongsam.

Just like Eileen Chang, a fan of cheongsam,who often digressed to descriptions of these garments in her novels, Chen Wenxiu is as almost stubbornly fond of cheongsam.Stand-up collars, Chinese frogs, aslant front, embroidered border......Chen Wenxiu seems to know cheongsam inside and out.

●Note:1 Consort Yu was a favorite concubine of Xiang Yu, King of the West Chu during the War of Chu and Han period. Later, this female role is often portrayed in traditional Chinese Operas.

“Even when you are far away from home, don’t forget to put a cheongsam in your suitcase to make Chinese culture better known in the outside world.” Chen Wenxiu told us. It is hard to decide whether it is women who are interpreters of cheongsam’s charm, or the other way around.But it is always certain that there are many women who are crazily in love with cheongsam. In the whole city of Wuhan there are many other individuals like Chen Wenxiu, who are inheriting the cheongsam culture and keeping the flame of Wuhan’s history and dream alive.

漢劇大師陳伯華（后任武漢漢劇院院長）曾以“小牡丹花”的藝名名噪武漢三鎮。1937年，京劇大師梅蘭芳來漢演出。歡迎宴會上，彬彬有禮的梅蘭芳先生一旁，作為武漢演員代表的陳伯華一襲色彩鮮艷的蜜黃色旗袍，著淡青色坎肩，項上束白綢圍巾，顯得既清麗又嫵媚。

這是陳伯華與梅蘭芳兩位虞姬(注：虞姬，是秦末楚漢相爭時期西楚霸王項羽的愛妾，也是中國戲曲表演中經典角色之一)首次會面。眾人看了梅蘭芳，再看陳伯華，無不嘖嘆，成就一段佳話。

地處九省通衢的武漢，早已有了開放包容的氣度，漢派旗袍也因此一度大放異彩，各種改良版層出不窮：從清湯掛面到曲線盡顯；領子先低后高，冬款可以高到耳部；削減了腰身，寬大的喇叭袖漸漸縮短收窄；長度也先至小腿，后流行長款，開叉更是高高低低，一度曾高到臀部。

武漢女人素來有豪情。有過來人回憶，當時的武漢女人可以裝著高開叉的旗袍，坐在公交車上，蹺著腿還要抖三抖。但陳文秀并不這樣認為。正如她所說：“換上旗袍，本身就多了柔美溫婉的感覺，這樣的裝扮也在時時提醒自己，要注意內外兼修。”這或許就是旗袍于她的最大意義。

亦如張愛玲喜愛旗袍，便將其成為張氏小說中出鏡率最高的物品。陳文秀對旗袍的喜愛，也達到近乎偏執的程度。立領、盤扣、斜襟、滾邊……對于旗袍的每個細節，陳文秀都了如指掌。

“無論是在異國還是他鄉，如果能在箱子里備上一件旗袍，將中國的文化傳播出去，也是好的。”臨別時，陳文秀叮囑我們。說不清是女人詮釋了旗袍的韻致，還是旗袍襯托了女人的風情。不管怎樣，總有那么多女人是愛旗袍的，如癡如醉。在武漢三鎮，或許還有許多這樣的人，默默傳承著旗袍文化，承載著漢派獨有的歷史與夢。

漢派旗袍承載歷史與夢

文|劉昭瑋 楊芷琪